Coming off a hamstring injury, Jordyn Tyson had a strict snap count for his NFL debut. The New Orleans Saints rookie wide receiver didn’t break it, either.

“No more than 30,” Tyson said.

The 21-year-old played just 18 snaps in Sunday’s 23-22 overtime win over the Cleveland Browns. But even with limited reps, Tyson’s usage — and effectiveness — provided a glimpse at how the Saints plan to deploy the wide receiver in the coming weeks as his workload likely increases.

Coach Kellen Moore used Tyson in ways that were reminiscent of the wide receiver’s film at Arizona State. The Sun Devils saw Tyson as a versatile chess piece, and so do the Saints. Tyson had an even split between inside and outside with nine snaps each. And of those nine snaps outside, Tyson spent five on the left and four on the right — a near-even split.

New Orleans even sent Tyson in motion on five of his 16 routes, good for the highest motion percentage of any Saints receiver in Sunday’s game.

Tyson’s four catches for 30 yards and a fumble may be considered underwhelming. But don’t just look at the box score. A closer examination shows Tyson is just getting started — and that could pay off big for the Saints.

“The volume is about what we expected,” Moore said. “Again, he hasn’t played a lot of football in a long time. So he’s been itching to play a ton of football. We’ve got to build him up the right way. I thought he had a positive impact on the game over those snaps.

“Obviously, the big turnover was a really big learning experience.”

Tyson said he “couldn’t believe” that his first catch resulted in a fumble. And it was a costly one. Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger punched the ball loose just as New Orleans was about to score, and Cleveland recovered the turnover at the 1-yard line.

But Tyson would make up for the play later. As careful as the Saints were to manage his reps early — the first rounder didn’t even take the field until there were 51 seconds left in the first quarter — they trusted him to be out there late. Half of Tyson’s 18 snaps came in the fourth quarter, and each of his two fourth-quarter drives resulted in points.

Notably, Tyson was a third-down valve for quarterback Tyler Shough. Three of his five targets came on such plays, leading to two crucial conversions in the fourth. His biggest catch was a 7-yard completion on third-and-5, which immediately set up the 33-yard strike to Chris Olave that paved the way for New Orleans’ go-ahead touchdown late.

Even on a snap count, Tyson’s routes revealed how the Saints see how he can add value. The Saints used him on crossing and drag routes over the middle, an area that Shough hasn’t targeted as frequently this year. They used him in the red zone, and the rookie even got so wide open on one sequence that he tossed up his arms — only for Shough to take a 2-yard sack.

Simply put, he looked like the missing piece to a wideout core that includes Olave and Devaughn Vele.

“We’re going to keep getting him the ball,” Olave said. “He’s one of our best players when on the field.”

Next up

The most important game of the Saints’ season to date: A first-place showdown in the NFC South against the Carolina Panthers.

But this isn’t your typical first-place battle.

Like the Saints, the Panthers are 3-5. And like the Saints, Carolina has already made a notable staff change this season. The Panthers fired defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero late last month.

The Panthers moved on from Evero largely because Carolina has been unable to stop the run. Carolina has allowed more than 200 rushing yards twice this season and the Panthers rank 28th in run defense, giving up 133.4 yards per game.

That could bode well for New Orleans, which had success on the ground over the weekend in its win over Cleveland. The Saints rushed for 160 yards, led by Audric Estime’s 72 yards on 15 carries.

Odds and ends

Cam Jordan played just 12 snaps against the Browns, his fewest since Nov. 3, 2024. That game, coincidentally against the Panthers, led to the dismissal of former coach Dennis Allen. On Sunday, Jordan played just four snaps — one of which was a kneel-down — after he missed the sack on an unblocked look at quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

Moore gave an interesting answer when asked whether he expected Kendre Miller to return to the practice squad if the running back cleared waivers. The coach noted that the Saints didn’t have an open spot right now. But that was also the case when Moore previously said the team planned to bring back Jayden Price after cutting him. Never say never, but Miller’s time with the Saints looks officially over. New Orleans released him over the weekend.

Tyler Shough was sacked five times — tied for a season high — against the Browns, but his most confusing sack came in the third quarter when the quarterback identified Cleveland’s Myles Harden as a blitzer before the snap, only for Harden to go completely unblocked off the line of scrimmage. How did that happen? Moore chalked up the play to a “miscommunication,” though did not single out who was at fault.